Georgetown Holiday Program IMPORTANT DETAILS

Georgetown Christmas Program
December 3, 2013
Fair Haven Ministries Church

6:30 - 7:00   K-2nd     
(Students report at 6:15)

7:45 - 8:15   3rd-5th   
(Students report at 7:30)

Where is the church?Address: 2900 Baldwin Street  Hudsonville, MI 49426.
Fair Haven Ministries is located down the road from Georgetown Elementary at the corner of Baldwin Street and 28th Ave.  

What time do students need to be at the church?
Students need to report to their assigned classroom 15 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE PROGRAM. 

It is very important not to be late so teachers have enough time to line students up in their riser orders, pass out props and make sure everyone who has a special part is accounted for. Please do not send your child to the classroom unsupervised or prior to their scheduled time.

Where does my child need to go when they get to the church?
There will be signs at the church directing you to your child's classroom.
Below are the room assignments by grade:

K - Family Life Center
1st - 100 Wing
2nd - 400 Middle
3rd - 100 Wing
4th - 400 Middle
5th - Family Life Center

How long will the program be?
Each group will perform for about 30 minutes. There will be 45 minutes between the two programs for K-2nd grade students to leave and upper elementary students to arrive for the next program.

What order are the grades singing?The grades are singing in order of age: Kindergarten perform first, then 1st/2nd grade, then 3rd grade and finally 4th/5th grade.


Can we save seats prior to the program?
No. The only reserved seats will be for the directors, videographers, and teachers. 
Doors will open at 5:30 and seating is first come first served. 
PLEASE be respectful and courteous to other families. Everyone wants a good seat and we will do our best to fit everyone into the auditorium.  Please try to keep young children on your laps and not to take up unnecessary seats in order to leave more space for others.  WCET TV will be taping and televising the program so that families who are unable to attend can still see it. 

Is food or drink allowed in the church?
No food or drink is allowed in the church. This is strictly enforced.
We are so gracious to Fair Haven for allowing us to rent their facility and we need to abide by their rules.
 
Do the students need to wear anything special?
No. Most students love to dress up and will wear special Christmas dresses or "church clothes", but there is no requirement.
The exception to this is if your child has a special part. Some parts require special costumes. Many costumes are provided, but some may have to be brought from home. If your child has a special part, they should have brought home a "congratulations" letter that would say if they need to wear or bring anything special. Please note that if your child has a special part that requires a costume, they may not have time to change and might need to wear their costume for the entire program.

How do students get special parts?For most parts, students audition during class time. Sometimes if I have simple parts I randomly choose students or choose random class numbers. I also keep track of every student who has ever had a Christmas program part from Kindergarten through 5th grade. Whenever possible, I try to give parts to students who have not ever had parts or who have not had parts in the past couple years. Typically, I will have about 50-100 students audition for a part. I narrow the students down to about 20 and put those names in a hat and draw a lucky winner. Although I would love everyone to have a part, having 600+ students and only a handful of parts each year is very difficult. I discuss this with the students and they realize everyone cannot have a solo part, but that EVERY single person is important to the success of the program. Most songs have special props or motions that involve everyone as well.

What if my child's music teacher is Mrs. VanRijs?
Due to the size of Georgetown, I am not able to teach all of the grades.  Mrs. VanRijs is our incredible music teacher for our Kindergartners.  She will be directing the Kindergarten group of students at the Christmas program.  Both of us will be there to make our program a success!